Spring.



. E. 6. DE LQE.

SPRING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.8 1916.

1,285,642. Patented Nov 26, 1915;

: EDWARD G. DE on, or aniunsrown, NEW YORK.

SPRING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1918.

Application filedNovember 8, 1916. Serial No. 130,267.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD Gr. DE Lon, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Springs, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specificatiotn.

The invention relates to springs for ye hicles and similar uses where a strong resilient leaf spring is desired; and the improvement consists in providing a tenslonal attachment for the ends of the spring members or parts in such a manner that While a large portion of the resiliency of the spring is utilized yet the manner of attaching said spring ends under tension does not permit said members or parts working loose while it greatly strengthens the spring construction; and the invention consists in the novel features and combinations hereinafter set forth and-claimed.

'In'the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of an elliptical spring with one member having both ends coiled and attached under tension, a holding bracket or clamp being provided for said ends to thereby attach them to 'coil end portion of the spring member showing the coils and the manner of attachment by means of the holding clamp or brackets; and Fig. 3 is a detail view of the holding clamp with the parts separated from one another in position for assembling. Fig. 4 is an elevation of a single ended spring with the spring members attached to one another under tension by means of the holding clamp, and the other ends of said spring members attached to the vehicle frame. Fig. 5 is a similar view of a double ended spring attached to the vehicle frame, both ends of the spring members being held under tension.

Like characters of reference refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

It has heretofore been thought that in order to overcome frictional heat from the rigid holding of the metal during continuous resilient bending strains a pivotal hinging of the spring ends was necessary. Such a pivotal hinging of the spring ends allows only a small portion of the resiliency of the metal to be utilized. In order to make use of substantially the full resilient strength of the metal the spring ends should be attached under tension to one another in such a manner that they cannot be worked loose by the continuous springing strain of one end on the other.

The numeral 10 designates one member or part, and the numeral 11 the other member or part of an elliptical spring in which the part 11 has each of its end portions turned in a coil 12, the extreme end being shaped in a return bend hook 13.

The other part 10 has straight ends 14 which are attached to the hooks 13 by means of a clamping member or hOlCliIlg bracketwhich consists of the folded sheet met-al' clamping plate 15 and a sidewise extending bracket piece 16 which is attached to the folded clamping member 15 for the ends 14 by means of screw bolts 17 at each end, thereby holding the end 14 of the spring member 10 between the bolts 17 in the folded member 15. The bracket piece 16 has a central bent away portion to receive'the hook 13 with the coiled portion 12 between said bracket 16 and the clamping member 15.

In attaching the end 13 to the end 14 by means of the holding. bracket or clamping member, the end 13 is hooked onto the bracket portion 16. The end 14 of the other spring member or part 10 is then inserted in order to attach the other end 14 to the opposite coil said opposite coil is turned under about equal tension and the part 10 is turned down until it may be inserted in said opposite clamping member 15 at the left end of the spring thereby bringing it into the normal tensional holding position and permitting the tightening of the bolts of said clamping members to thereby hold all the parts firmly in place under tension. It is apparent that any degree of tension may thus be given to the spring ends.

This manner of attachment leaves the spring ends free to move with the spring members, the tensional hold of the ends of the spring members by means of the coils 12 acting to a certain extent as shock absorbers thereby adding to the comfort deaction or the rived from the use of the spring. T he members 10 and 11 may be quickly and easily detached from one another by removing the holding clamps or brackets and the tensional strain thereon.

This form of spring construction is peculiarly adaptable to attachment of either of the members to the vehicle frame, as shown in Figs. 4. and 5, Fig. 4: showing the single ended or half spring in which the coil 12 is attached to the end 1% of the member 10 by means of the holding clamp, the other end of the member 10 being rigidly attached to the vehicle frame 18 at 20, and the spring member 19 which is a portion of the leaf 11 is rigidly attached to said frame 18 at 21. It is obvious that the member 11 may be cut in any portion thereby providing a double ended spring, as shown in Fig. 5, with two shortened spring members 19 and 22 which are rigidly attached to the vehicle frame 18 and which allow strong resiliency for the spring member 10 and the coils 12.

It is obvious that the attachment of the spring ends under tension gives great resiliency to the spring in proportion to the amount of metal used, that is, a spring constructed under tension as hereinbeforc described has much greater carrying power than if the ends of the spring were pivotally united as is common in vehicle springs. Thus it will be seen that two objects are attained, great resiliency and. the tensional holding of the ends of the spring parts without danger of their working loose or cutting the holding or attaching means. It is apparent also that this spring construction entirely eliminates frictional joints.

1 claim as new 1. A leaf spring comprising two opposing members, the end portion of one of said members a spiral coil, the end portion of the other member uncoiled, and means for attaching said ends of said members under tension of said spiral coil to resiliently hold said members.

2. A leaf spring comprising two opposing parts, spiral coils on one of said members one at each end, the end portions of the other member comparatively fiat, and means attached to said fiatend portions of said other member to engage the end. portions within said coils under tension of said coils to increase the resiliency of the springs.

3. A vehicle spring comprising two members, a clamping plate engaging the end of one of said members, and the end portion of the other member of said vehicle spring turned in a spiral coil and attached to said clamping plate under tension to give tension to both of said members.

4. A vehicle spring comprising two parts, a clamping plate engaging the end of one of said parts, a holding means supported a spaced distance from said clamping plate, and the end portion of the other part of said vehicle spring turned in a coil and attached to said holding means at a tension to give tension to both parts of said spring.

A vehicle spring comprising two members, clamping plates engaging the ends of one of said members, a bracket piece attached. to each of said clamping plates having a sidewise bend to provide 'a spaced opening, and each end portion of the other member of said vehicle spring turned in a coil through said opening and attached to its respective bracket piece at a tension to give tension to both members of said spring.

6. A vehicle spring comprising two memhere, a folded clamping plate fitting over the end of one of said members, a bracket piece attached to each end of said clamping plates, a central sidewise bend in said bracket piece to provide a spaced opening, a. spiral (3011 on the end portion of the other spring member, and a hooked end on said other spring member within said spiral coil to engage said bend in said bracket piece and hold said members with spring tension.

In testimony whereof I have afiiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD G. DE LOE. Witnesses H. O. SANDBERG, I. E. NORDSTROM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

